The ketogenic diet basically changes the metabolic fuel of your body to make it lose weight. You’re not starving yourself of calories. You’re having a good amount of calories, which means you’re eating enough to keep you going. All you’re avoiding are carbohydrates. This gives you massive benefits, including improved health, weight loss, and better performance physically and mentally.
Maca is a kind of turnip from Peru. It is nicknamed “nature’s Viagra” for its libido boosting properties. Although it contains 60% NET carbs you only need a teaspoonful to give you a sweet tasting boost. A few grams of this superfood won’t take you out of ketosis. It’s adaptogenic, meaning it will boost your body, mind and mojo in multiple ways. Aloe Vera is a species of cactus related to the lily flower. It is antimicrobial, antibacterial and antifungal. It heals the gut and is used to successfully reduce the effects of radiation and stabilize cancerous tumors. It is a bit slimy to eat but can be added to salads and shakes and has zero carbs. This is a superhero in the plant kingdom and its zero carb status makes it perfect for keto.
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Fruits that are high in fiber. For keto dieters counting net carbohydrates, fiber can be subtracted from total carb count. This exclusion of dietary fiber in the carb count allows for a wider variety of fruit that may be incorporated into your diet. Berries, for example, have a high fiber content and can be enjoyed in moderation on a ketogenic diet.

If you didn’t already hear all the buzz surrounding going keto, now’s the time to get familiarized with the trend. The ketogenic diet, or keto for short, is centered around eating high fat, moderate protein, and super-low-carb foods so that your body begins burning through your fat stores rather than glucose for energy. Essentially, you eat loads of fat from foods such as cheese, bacon, and coconut oil—and get lean! (Psst: it’s also how Kourtney Kardashian and Halle Berry keep trim and toned.)

Most like to eat peanuts in the form of peanut butter. But salted peanuts are also a favorite party snack. Whichever way you choose to eat them, you won't go wrong as peanuts are definitely keto nuts. However, they're also not real nuts or even seeds botanically speaking. They're actually legumes. Shocking, we know. The reason they're classified as nuts is because they're nutritionally closer to nuts than legumes.

Scientists are discovering that we need specific nutrition found only in plants to regulate our DNA. DNA is our genetics, but the regulation is our EPI-genetics. Basically your DNA is a template for your whole body, but it needs specific signals, from your diet, to regulate it how it works. Phyto-chemicals, found in abundance in low carb vegetables and keto friendly fruit are crucial for DNA regulation. These plant based signals kick-start fertility, virility, libido, a positive mood and much more. That’s exactly what you want on keto, even more health, energy and vitality! In fact, eating enough nutritionally dense plants will prevent many of the diseases we find so commonly today.
“Dairy products are in general inflammatory, so I recommend most people stay away from them,” Hunnes says. Cream cheese also contains the milk protein casein, which Hunnes says is potentially carcinogenic.[2] Casein tends to be inflammatory, especially if you can’t tolerate it, which could create a possible link between cancer and the milk protein.
Berries are among the most popular fruits on ketogenic diets. It's easy to throw them into smoothies, integrate them into desserts or even eat half a serving as a snack. Keto-friendly berries include blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries and currants. Of course, not all berries are created equal, as their sugar and carb content may differ.
This cheesecake turned out beautifully. I did 2 substitutions. Used part almond flour and part quick oats for the crust (ran out of almond flour). The crust is great. Only had 24 oz. Cream cheese, so substituted 12 oz. low fat cottage cheese to complete filling. It still blended very well and baked perfectly. Also used pie pan, do not have a springform.
Additionally, a ketogenic diet can improve your energy, cognitive acceleration and overall daily performance. Most people feel their best when in a state of mild-ketosis. One of the big challenges, is that most people have been raised on higher carb comfort foods. So rather than focusing on what foods you will miss, shift your energy to all the great foods you can enjoy. Here are 22 ketogenic foods that you will LOVE!
Yogurt topped with a few nuts might seem like a no-brainer keto snack, but a 5.3 ounce serving of plain yogurt has 12 grams of carbohydrates. If you opt for flavored yogurt, like vanilla, that carb count doubles to 24 grams of carbohydrates for 6 ounces. Your best bet is to choose plain Greek yogurt, which has as little as five grams of carbohydrates for a 7 ounce serving.
Rami co-founded Tasteaholics with Vicky at the start of 2015 to master the art of creating extremely delicious food while researching the truth behind nutrition, dieting and overall health. You can usually find him marketing, coding or coming up with the next crazy idea because he can't sit still for too long. His top read is The 4-Hour Workweek and he loves listening to Infected Mushroom in his spare time.

Maya, OMG this was soooo delicious! My hubby was so impressed he said we need to keep it around all the time…I was thinking I need to make it more often so I can perfect it (wink, wink). I did buy a sugar free raspberry jam for the topping because I couldn’t “find” your recipe, then I read the entire recipe all the way through and VIOLA there it was. I’ll make that one next time.

According to Kathy McManus, director of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital, fruit juices and other from-concentrate products can increase your blood sugar and your calorie consumption. This means that juices are very keto unfriendly. You also want to be careful about making your own juice at home, even from vegetables. Juicing your fruits and vegetables concentrates the carbs and sugar and may be too much on your low-carb diet.
The next plant superheroes belong to the allium family. This includes: Garlic, leek, scallion, onions and shallots. These low carb vegetables add a lot of flavor and a lot of health too! They are chemo-protective, preventing cancer via multiple mechanisms. Some onions are naturally sweet, this is why they brown and caramelize when cooked, so enjoy onions in moderation on keto.
If you didn’t already hear all the buzz surrounding going keto, now’s the time to get familiarized with the trend. The ketogenic diet, or keto for short, is centered around eating high fat, moderate protein, and super-low-carb foods so that your body begins burning through your fat stores rather than glucose for energy. Essentially, you eat loads of fat from foods such as cheese, bacon, and coconut oil—and get lean! (Psst: it’s also how Kourtney Kardashian and Halle Berry keep trim and toned.)

Before I let you enjoy this quick and simple (but not just “another-one-out-there”) recipe, I’d like to point out that using full-fat Greek yogurt is important. Xanthan gum, on the other hand, can be an optional ingredient, but I do recommend using it. That way you higher the chances for the fluffy pancakes to gain just the right amount of firmness.

When consumed in moderation, the high fiber content of nuts and seeds can curb your appetite helping you to avoid excess calorie intake. The healthy fats and antioxidants in nuts is credited with providing the anti-inflammatory activities responsible for regulating lipid concentrations, preventing against depression, Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive disorders (59).

Studies have shown intake of polyunsaturated fats, fiber, magnesium, and L-arginine found, all of which are found in nuts, may help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease death, and some inflammation markers in the body. In addition, nuts provide antioxidants that are protective for the body, so this is mostly a concern if you’re eating them in large amounts daily.

Thank you, Erica. Sorry, mascarpone won’t work in a baked cheesecake – it melts into a butter-like consistency when heated. Also, just so you know, mascarpone does not have 0 carbs. Manufacturers get away with writing 0 because they can round down if it’s less than 1 gram per serving. Mascarpone has 0.3 grams carbs per tablespoon, and cream cheese has 0.8 grams per tablespoon.

When we constantly consume sugar, we release dopamine in our brain – creating an addiction and an increased tolerance. Over time you will have to eat larger and larger amounts of sugar to continue the dopamine secretion. Once our body is dependent on a chemical reaction in the brain, we can find that we’re craving things even when we’re not hungry.
I made this because we are on a strict low carb diet and it is extremely hard to find satisfying snacks or desserts. OMG this is some good cheesecake!!! I used xylitol and tweaked the recipe just a little, I added a little more vanilla, a pinch of salt to the filling and the crust, I also added a bit of lime juice instead of lemon. We felt guilty after eating it because it just does not taste like a “diet” cheesecake. My only complaint is that it did not set completely solid so it’s a little more soft and creamy than I prefer. I think I need to adjust the temp on my oven so I can cook it longer next time. This will be my go to cheesecake recipe from now on.
Louise holds a Bachelors and Masters in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University (UK). She attended Columbia University for her JD and practiced law at Debevoise & Plimpton before co-founding Louise's Foods, Paleo Living Magazine, Nourishing Brands, & CoBionic. Louise has considerable research experience but enjoys creating products and articles that help move people just a little bit closer toward a healthy life they love. You can find her on Facebook or LinkedIn.

Unfortunately, all of these fruits are high in carbs and sugar. To put this into context, if you were to eat a whole mango, you'd be consuming more than 30 grams of sugar and 50 grams of carbs. Bananas are also high sugar and carbs — very unfortunate since they're so useful for smoothies. If you're looking for that creamy texture, you can always replace them with the keto-friendly avocado as an alternative.

How can you promise that when everything seems to need to be handmade? That is either a major time commitment, shopping, prepping, cooking, cleaning, or the most basic-bland thing ever. This would all be very good for me, but I don’t see how it is feasibly sustainable. Everyone seems to say things like ‘oh it only takes an hour’. All I can think is, wow you have an hour for this every meal? That and I live by myself and fresh food goes bad quickly, that gets really expensive really quickly or requires that you go to the store every other day. I really want to do this long term, but please, how is it realistically possible? I don’t want every meal to mean that I have to clean a pot, a pan, 2 knives, a stirring spoon, a cutting board, etc etc.

The ketogenic diet has recently become very popular, and many food companies want to cash in by putting a “ketogenic” or “low carb” label on a new product. Be very cautious of special “keto” or “low-carb” products, such as pastas, chocolate bars, energy bars, protein powders, snack foods, cakes, cookies and other “low carb” or “ketogenic” treats. Read all labels carefully for natural low carb ingredients. The fewer ingredients the better.

Your body needs micro-nutrition and phyto-nutrition. Micro-nutrition is the vitamins and minerals found in both plants and animals, but phyto-nutrition is the special compounds found only in plants. Phyto means light, so it is the nutrition plants make from light using photosynthesis. Some of these compounds create the color or flavor of the plant. Some plants naturally have more of these special compounds than others, for example the bright yellow root, and cooking spice, turmeric contains curcumin. This phyto-nutrient has a potent anti-inflammatory effect. Some countries have already approved its use in the treatment of cancer.

In fact, once all our our reserved glucose/glycogen runs out after several days on a low-carb, keto diet, our bodies create compounds called ketone bodies (or ketones) from our own stored body fat, as well as from fats in our diet. In addition, researchers have discovered that ketones contain main benefits, such as fat loss, suppressing our appetites, boosting mental clarity and lowering the risk for a number of chronic diseases.
I am slightly (?) confused—in the article you use phrases such as “the low carb yogurt theory”–it can be assumed–expect approximately–The actual number of carbs has been proven– Theory, assumed, expect, and “has been proven” just seem to be at odds with each other…I’ve given up Yogurt while on a keto diet and miss it. How are these claims substantiated? Appreciate any assistance you can provide..Brian Jamieson
Every day, you will notice how simple my methods are and how the secret fat burning meal plans will speed up the fat burning process even while you rest at night. Not everyone is the same, but after the first week with the 3-Week Ketogenic Diet, most people experience one or more of the following… more energy, 5lbs lighter, joint relief, self-motivation, happiness, and a positive change in their physiological states. After 3-weeks many people have anywhere from 3-9 pounds weight loss and 7-17 inches off their waist, hips, chest, and triceps.
Thank you SO much for the breakdown. This is an excellent list that I am going to take with me to the store from now on. I haven’t started on the diet as of yet because I was trying to put a grocery list together. This list has been one of VERY few that have the foods and the guided amount without having to pay an absurd amount of money for a list of food you can and cant eat. There weren’t any recommended amounts to eat for the meat section and wanted to know if you had any recommendations for portions. Thanks again for taking time to get wonderful information out there.

Dehydrated fruit. When fruit is dehydrated, the moisture is removed. This process makes dehydrated fruit more nutrient dense than its fresh counterpart and ensures higher carb and sugar count by weight. Take apricots for example. In 100 grams of raw apricot, there are 9 grams of net carbohydrates. But in 100 grams of dehydrated apricot, the net carb count skyrockets to 82 grams of net carbs. Pretty significant difference, and you’ll see the same thing with plums vs. prunes, raisins, cran-raisins, and all the other dried variety of fruits.

All grains, even whole meal (wheat, rye, oats, corn, barley, millet, bulgur, sorghum, rice, amaranth, buckwheat, sprouted grains), quinoa and white potatoes. this includes all products made from grains (pasta, bread, pizza, cookies, crackers, etc.) sugar and sweets (table sugar, HFCS, agave syrup, ice creams, cakes, sweet puddings and sugary soft-drinks).
We hope this list helps you figure out which meats are optimal for your daily diet planning. We are working on creating a printable version of this, so check back with us for that. We would love to hear your thoughts on this, so please leave us a comment below. If you have a favorite cut of meat that we left off this list, let us know what it is. We can add it to the calculator and see what score it gets.
Watermelon is a staple summer fruit and another low-carb way to help satisfy your sweet tooth on keto. Each ½ cup of diced watermelon has 5.4 g of net carbs. It’s also an acceptable choice when dieting because of its high water content. The ½ cup serving size of watermelon has about 23 calories and 4.7 g of sugar. This juicy fruit also offers 432 IU of vitamin A, which is 8.6 percent of the DV.

Yogurt topped with a few nuts might seem like a no-brainer keto snack, but a 5.3 ounce serving of plain yogurt has 12 grams of carbohydrates. If you opt for flavored yogurt, like vanilla, that carb count doubles to 24 grams of carbohydrates for 6 ounces. Your best bet is to choose plain Greek yogurt, which has as little as five grams of carbohydrates for a 7 ounce serving.

Hi Dorothy, The ingredients don’t scale perfectly to a 6-inch pie, but can be pretty close. If you enter “10” in the box that lists the number of servings, it will convert the amounts for you. Some amounts turn out a little odd (like 1.88 eggs), so with those it should be ok to round up. The baking time will need to decrease with a smaller cheesecake, as well.

As any ketogenic dieter knows, the lifestyle requires a lot of diligence. Even snacking on a banana could ruin your diet. The main goal of keto is to use fat instead of carbohydrates for energy, a process known as ketosis. Generally, keto dieters eat lots of fat, a moderate amount of protein, and just 20-30 grams of carbohydrates per day to maintain ketosis. For context, that's about half a medium bagel.
This looks awesome and I’m going to try it. I’ve been doing “keto” since before it was called that. I fell off the wagon several years ago but have recently come back to the fold as it’s the only way of eating that works for me. Anyway I wanted to mention that when my kids were growing up I made yogurt often. And then when I started low carbing I decided to try making it with heavy cream and it worked! And it’s amazing. Obviously more work than this but try it!
This milk yogurt contains just 1 gram of net carbs, giving you a little wiggle room when it comes to carbohydrates. If you are craving additional sweetness, you can choose to sweeten your low carb yogurt with a keto-friendly sweetener, like stevia or monk fruit. You could also top with fresh fruit like blueberries or raspberries, avoiding high-carb fruits. Or, make a yogurt parfait with chia seeds and keto yogurt topped with homemade whipped cream, made with heavy whipping cream or coconut cream.
Nuts should not be one of your major sources of fat in the diet. This is because they contain carbohydrates as well as phytic acid (are a pretty high in calories). Phytic acid absorbs essential dietary minerals such as magnesium which is essential for the utilization of vitamin D among many others. In moderation however, similar to cheese nuts are acceptable as part of your keto diet plan, taken as a snack, for instance. To avoid the phytic acid, you could soak or sprout your nuts but for most people on a ketogenic diet it’s not worth the effort due to the fact it a very small part of their daily intake.
Hi! Just wanted to say that I made this cheesecake for my boyfriend’s birthday and it was a hit! I used truvia baking blend because I didn’t have time to order the erythritol and it tasted great. I am not a baker so I was very impressed. Just spread some low carb icing on the top with a few fresh strawberries and done! Thanks so much for the recipe. I’d like to make it again but in cupcake form. I plan on using these ingredients but with the directions from your pina colada cheesecake cupcakes. Hope it turns out!
Beware of added sugars or high-glycemic sweeteners in spice blends or condiments, but other than that, it’s fair game for keto. In spice-heavy dishes, carbs can add up, but don’t drive yourself crazy worrying about your teaspoon of turmeric. Check labels for additives like sugars, milk solids, potato starch, corn starch, or MSG, or make your own blends at home. Table salt often contains undisclosed fillers and anti-caking agents, so it’s best to opt for sea salt or Himalayan pink salt instead.
Typically you want to stay away from any brands that use filler ingredients like maltodextrin and dextrose, or high glycemic sweeteners like maltitol. Many low-carb products that claim low net carbs usually use these sugar alcohols. Many candies that are “sugar-free” also use these sweeteners. Avoid them where possible. These specific sweeteners respond in our body in a similar way sugar does.
If you’re one of those people who can’t seem to put anything too hearty down early in the morning but is still interested in getting fat burning energy, then look no further. This creamy mint matcha shake is the drinkable breakfast you’ve been searching for. Matcha is insane- for tons of reasons – you can read about the many benefits here. And if you like mint and you like creamy—get out your blender.
Watermelon is a staple summer fruit and another low-carb way to help satisfy your sweet tooth on keto. Each ½ cup of diced watermelon has 5.4 g of net carbs. It’s also an acceptable choice when dieting because of its high water content. The ½ cup serving size of watermelon has about 23 calories and 4.7 g of sugar. This juicy fruit also offers 432 IU of vitamin A, which is 8.6 percent of the DV.
Hi Nanette, For this recipe I recommend a granulated sweetener in the crust and either powdered erythritol or powdered monk fruit in the filling. Pure stevia extract would be very concentrated and may change the end result. A stevia blend may work but the amount would vary depending on which one it is and what else is in it. You can check my sweetener conversion chart which can help if you look up the type you are using.

While Yoplait is known for its dessert-flavored yogurts—a high-sugar snack that doesn’t make the cut while on keto—its newest addition tops our nutritional charts. Unlike other dairy yogurts, YQ by Yoplait drastically reduces its carb count by ultra-filtering the milk. This removes 99 percent of the lactose (a type of sugar), so you still get gut-loving probiotics with almost zero carbs.

Korma is a mild curry dish and is often what people try first when they are experimenting with Indian cookery. It has a creamy sauce which is made using all the usual Indian spices, but it does not have the heat of some curries. This great Keto recipe is also gluten-free but full of taste and would make a great family meal served over cauliflower rice.
Hi Viola, Sorry you had issues with the cheesecake. Did you use the exact same ingredients? Did you check the video? I’d be happy to help troubleshoot if you can point to where it went differently for you. As for cracking, this is likely due to either drastic temperature changes or over-baking. Check the tips in the post above. Finally, instructions for the raspberry sauce are in the recipe notes on the recipe card.

Native to Central America, chia was a stable to the Aztec in pre-Columbus times. The seeds gained popularity in the 1980s as a superfood. Keto dieters love them for their high fat content and health benefits. These seeds are tiny and oval. They are mostly gray in color with stripes, resembling miniature castor seeds. Chia have hydrophilic characteristics, absorbing up to 12 times their weight in liquid.

You may need to trial a few kinds of cheese to find the best one that will bake to a crispy shell, and each one will vary considerably. I used a regular block of cheese, shredded/grated it, then cooked until I knew it would be crispy when cooled down. The first ones I tried when I was developing this, I discovered I hadn’t cooked them long enough to crisp up.
Some people believe that it's dangerous when your body enters ketosis. However, it's important to understand the difference between ketosis, which is nutritionally safe, and ketoacidosis, which is caused by a lack of insulin and can increase blood sugar significantly. The ketogenic diet keeps the body in ketosis, not ketoacidosis. It's still important to monitor your ketone levels and consult with your doctor before embarking on this diet, since ketoacidosis is a serious medical issue.
Watermelon is a staple summer fruit and another low-carb way to help satisfy your sweet tooth on keto. Each ½ cup of diced watermelon has 5.4 g of net carbs. It’s also an acceptable choice when dieting because of its high water content. The ½ cup serving size of watermelon has about 23 calories and 4.7 g of sugar. This juicy fruit also offers 432 IU of vitamin A, which is 8.6 percent of the DV.
However, grass-fed beef and bison are healthy. So, too, is virtually any animal that lives in its natural setting and feeds on its natural diet. When you eat a slice of grass-fed beef, you’re consuming the beneficial nutrients that the cow ate. This includes omega-3 fatty acids. And CLA, which is another healthy fatty acid. In fact, CLA may help reduce cancer.
The gist of the eating plan? Taking in so few carbs sends your body into ketosis—a state of burning fat for energy, instead of carbohydrates or sugars, explains Beth Warren, RDN, founder of Beth Warren Nutrition and author of Secrets of a Kosher Girl: A 21-Day Nourishing Plan to Lose Weight and Feel Great (Even If You're Not Jewish). In order to stay in ketosis, you only consume 5% to 10% of your calories from carbohydrates—which for most followers is fewer than 20 grams total per day—and instead eat moderate amounts of protein and high amounts of fat.
But if your friends have gone #keto and you're curious about what that exactly entails, the basic premise is fairly simple. The diet focuses on eating mostly fat, limited amounts of protein, and almost no carbs at all. The "do" list includes: meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables that grow above ground, nuts and seeds, fats and oils, and some dairy products. In terms of drinks, most keto diet guides advise people to stick to water and skip diet soda, even though it's artificially sweetened. (No Diet Coke — sorry!)